Priceless Tears
by Estrelle Buscador
Summary: Things have been going well until one day when a man as greedy and selfish as Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel from her parents and her boyfriend. Will Eugene and Rapunzel be able to come out of this alive? *Currently on Hiatus* Sorry!
1. Calm Before the Storm

Greetings Readers! I've written some Tangled fanfics before, but now I am daring to write a chaptered story! I hope that the first chapter goes all right.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or any of its characters.

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><p>Rapunzel opened her eyes into the dim darkness around her, wincing at the dull pain emanating from the back of her scalp. As she reached up ruefully to rub the soreness away, she noted that her captor had removed her arm shackles sometime while she was unconscious and felt momentarily grateful. But then she remembered all that had happened, and tried to shake off the pulsing headache with limited success.<p>

_I have to get out of her,_ she thought. The light in the small locked chamber never changed and Rapunzel had no idea how long she had been there. Her captor came in occasionally to bring her enough food to keep her stomach from growling and to attempt to provoke her into tears, but his visits were too sporadic to be any indicator of time.

_What does he want with me?_ Rapunzel agonized as she pulled on the shackles that surrounded her ankles. It couldn't be her hair, since it had been cut two years earlier and lost all its power. That was the only reason that she could think that would compel someone to kidnap a member of the royal family. He certainly wasn't seeking a ransom for her; he'd made that clear from the first moment she'd regained consciousness in the dark room with the strange masked man leaning over her.

She wished it was her hair – more, she wished she had her hair. It would make the room much brighter so she could get a better idea of where she was, and she was much more experienced at defending herself with her hair than with anything else. As it was, she didn't even have a frying pan nearby to help.

Irritated, she tugged once more on the shackles tying her feet to the wall and immediately had to stifle a gasp as she felt the chain give. Pulling up some of the slack chain, she peered through the darkness and saw that one of the links, the one closest to the wall, was bending out strangely. She gave the chain a sharp pull and it broke, the chain falling with a broken clatter to the floor as her foot slipped out of the heavy shackle. An idea lit up her face and she began pulling on the remaining shackle with all her might until it, too, gave way.

Rapunzel treated herself to a brief moment of elation, bouncing up and down and giggling delightedly before calming down and trying to formulate a plan. She had begun to walk over to the door to see if there were any weaknesses in the wood when she heard footsteps on the other side. Rapunzel stooped down and picked up the shackle, steeling herself as she crouched beside the door. She didn't particularly like violence – she still felt pangs of guilt when Eugene suffered soreness from his old frying pan injuries – but she had to get out. She had to get home to her parents, to Pascal, to Eugene… Rapunzel narrowed her eyes with determination and gripped the chain firmly. And as the door opened, she leapt forward…

···

Rapunzel had had no idea that she would soon be fighting for her life, she had been too busy fighting to stay awake as her math tutor continued droning on during her daily lesson. The princess attempted to keep a look of polite interest on her face, but it was hard to keep it on when the tutor never changed the inflection of his voice, smiled, or even blinked.

The door of the classroom banged open and the tutor started violently. He jumped into the air, blinking madly, and the piles of parchment in his arms went flying in all directions. Turning indignantly towards the offending door, the tutor sputtered out, "Mr. Fitzherbert!"

It was unlikely that the tutor would have addressed Eugene in that way if protocol hadn't demanded it. He probably would have preferred not to address Eugene at all, given the intense irritation in his face, but as his princess' beau he had to afford the impertinent man the courtesy. Courtesy, however, did not prevent him from shooting the young man a disapproving glare.

As usual, Eugene was impervious to disapproval and leaned casually against the doorframe, arms folded and a smirk featuring prominently on his face. "Uh-huh," he said confidently, "it's me. Hey, teach. Hey, Blondie."

"Now, Mr. Fitzherbert!" The tutor cried, flustered, "That is no the way to address her high…"

"Don't be so uptight," Eugene grinned, slapping the math tutor congenially on the back. "Blondie doesn't mind, do you, Blondie?"

Rapunzel didn't mind, but she did notice the vein growing larger on her tutor's temple and quickly stood up. Upon seeing the thunderclouds in his girlfriend's eyes, Eugene backed off and said more calmly. "Besides, sir, the king asked me to get you. He said that Rap- the princess is through with her lessons for the day." He'd tried to see if it only took one more informal name to make the restrained older man explode but upon seeing the reproach in Rapunzel's face thought better of it.

The tutor exasperatedly gathered up his books and chalk and shuffled out of the room, stopping only to give a perfunctory bow to Rapunzel before continuing on his way. Rapunzel stood up from her table and crossed her arms. "Do you have to do that every time you come to my math lesson?"

Eugene strode over and smiled down at her. "Yep. It makes his day more interesting."

Rapunzel folded her arms. "I think it's just raising his blood pressure."

"Ah, that's my Blondie," Eugene said teasingly but tenderly, weaving his fingers through her short brown hair, "always worrying about other people." Rapunzel only had a moment to blush at the closeness of his face before he kissed her, and then let herself melt into his embrace.

Rapunzel pulled back first to catch her breath, eliciting a painful groan from Eugene. "So, Father's letting me out of lessons early today? I wonder why."

"Well, he will once I tell him where we're going."

Rapunzel forked her hands on her hips. "Eugene! You're shameless."

"Ah, but don't you love that about me?" And he kissed her again to cut off her amused squawk of protest. When he pulled back from the kiss, he kissed the tip of her nose and grinned down at her. "Come on, Rapunzel, let's go."

"Where are you going?" Rapunzel asked as she followed Eugene out the door and down the hallway.

Rapunzel beamed. She liked getting surprises – excepting the infamous occasion when Eugene thought to surprise her by letting her have the first ride on a new horse he'd bought. He hadn't realized that the horse had rarely been ridden, and Rapunzel had been in for a wild ride through the palace grounds before the horse had come to an abrupt stop, sending her sailing headfirst into the duck pond. Eugene had taken up flower duty for a week to atone for that once. She also liked giving surprises, too, and as she grabbed her bag surreptitiously as they passed the cloakroom, she grinned at the idea of his face when he saw her present. If this surprise was his anniversary present, she would be ready to immediately give him his.

···

Rapunzel leaned over the side of the boat to better watch the small colorful fish darting underneath the water, causing Eugene to scramble to the other side of the boat to maintain their balance. He chuckled at the awestruck wonder on his girlfriend's face before picking up the oars again and resuming rowing, and Rapunzel let her fingertips skim the surface of the cool water, giggling as small fish swam to the surface and nibbled curiously on her fingers. Withdrawing her hand from the water, she watched the ripples coursing through the water before leaning back in the boat. She laid down on the pillows they'd put on the bottoms of the boat and blissfully closed her eyes, and it took all the focus Eugene possessed not to throw the oars to the side and kiss those adorable rosy lips senseless. Instead, he reined in his libido and chuckled down at her. "Am I that boring, your highness?"

Rapunzel recognized the teasing in his voice and laughed before saying, "Certainly not, my dear sir. I am just very tired."

"Ah, yes," Eugene's voice became distinctly what he called "snotty," as he continued, "Being pampered all day must take a great deal out of you."

"Eugene!" Rapunzel said, her voice sounding hurt as she sat up and opened her eyes. Eugene's eyes widened as he hastened to apologize – only for an enormous splash of cold water to crash against his face. Wiping his sodden hair out of his eyes, he playfully glared at his girlfriend who was rocking back and forth with peals of golden laughter. He scooped one oar gingerly into the water and then overturned the water-laden oar over Rapunzel's head.

The immediate aftermath led to several minutes of intense water battle in the middle of the usually serene lake, the shrieks and yells echoing across the water and into the surrounding forest, rousing binds from their nests and ground animals from their burrows.

When the boat hit the shoreline, Eugene stepped out and secured the boat before reaching out a hand to help Rapunzel out. She took the hand and stepped lightly onto the shore, her other hand wringing water out of her soaked brown locks. Eugene shook himself like a dog, running his fingers through his hair to look more presentable as Rapunzel ruefully wiped the extra water out of her eyes. She stooped to pick up her bag, which mercifully had remained dry, and as she straightened up, she shivered. Eugene looked at her with concern. "You cold, Blondie? Want my jacket?" Rapunzel shook her head and walked stiffly past him into the forest, causing his face to fall slightly. Nearly jogging to catch up with her, he reached out his hand just enough to tentatively graze her wrist. "Rapunzel, are you mad? I didn't mean-"

To his relief, Rapunzel wove her fingers through his and squeezed his hand reassuringly, grinning up at him. "Of course I'm not! I'm just teasing you."

Eugene smirked. "Why, you little-" He kissed her firmly on the lips, hard to do since he was smirking and she was giggling. He smiled more gently as he pulled back. "I've missed you, Blondie."

It seemed odd that the statement made sense to the both of them, given that they slept in the same corridor and had at least dinner together every day, but it didn't feel as though they had seen much of each other for the past month. Eugene's training to become a palace guard had intensified with learning how to wield swords and crossbows, and Rapunzel's studies had become more difficult as the ceremony to celebrate her twenty-first birthday approached, and she would be officially presented to the surrounding kingdoms as the future heir. Most of her lessons would cease after that as she would have more of her time taken up in court procedures and so forth. It was irritating that the tutors were sucking up all of Rapunzel's time, but it was worse that she'd have even less time after the ceremony.

They didn't say much as they walked on, perfectly content just having time together without having o worry about being torn away by palace duties or interruptions. As they stepped from the dense forest onto a cobbled street, familiar voices filled the air and Rapunzel listened carefully before beaming up at her boyfriend. "Are we going –"

Eugene smirked down at her. "Yep."

Rapunzel squealed with excitement and leapt up to give him an enormous hug before grabbing his hand and dragging him behind her. He laughed and started jogging to keep up with her as they ducked under the swinging sign of the Snugly Duckling and went inside. It was dark, smelled strongly of man-smell, and suspiciously rusty red stains were all over the floor. Rapunzel smiled. It was just like she remembered it.

"Hey Princess!" The thugs chorused in a deep bellow, several raising their mugs in a sloppy toast. Big Nose walked over to them and grinned sheepishly as Rapunzel gave him a big hug. "Good to see you, Ms Rapunzel. It's been a long time."

"Sorry," Rapunzel apologized as she let her go.

"Did nobody miss me?" Eugene grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Eh, 'course we missed you, punk." Hook Hand boomed from behind him and slapped him genially on the back, causing Eugene to crash face first onto the floor. Eugene picked himself, groaning, off the floor and dusted his shoulders off. "Thanks…I think." He looked around and, seeing that Rapunzel was fully occupied in chattering happily with several of the Snugly Duckling regulars, leaned close to Hook Hand and whispered, "You get everything ready?"

Hook Hand looked slightly affronted before responding. "Of course. We love making that girl of yours happy." He looked towards the cleanest part of the grimy bar and elbowed Eugene sharply in the ribs, causing him to double over, wheezing. "There it is – go get her."

Rapunzel had been deep in talk with Big Nose, trying to give him encouragement for the date he was taking his girlfriend later on that night when Eugene grabbed her arm. She looked up into his grinning face. "What is it?"

"Just look, Blondie," Eugene responded as he turned her around and as her eyes settled on what he was talking about it, she gasped in surprise.

"Surprise!" The thugs chorused in a roar. A large, several tiered cake, perched on the end of the bar, looking elegant and delectable, surrounding by equally inelegant thugs all bearing cheery grins. It was a sight that made Eugene shudder slightly, but he ignored it, instead focusing on the look of joy on Rapunzel's face. "Happy anniversary, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel smiled. "Thank you, Eugene!" And she gave him a kiss so thorough that it made his knees wobble precariously, and he collapsed against a stool as Rapunzel rushed over to thank the Snugly Duckling regulars. Noticing the smirks of Hook Hand and a few others, he cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair in a casually suave fashion. "Nice job on the cake, guys. Where'd you get it?"

Hook Hand quirked a brow. "Get it?"

"Well, it's all pink and girly!" Eugene laughed, "It's not like any of you guys…" An irritated growl came from just above Eugene and he looked up at Attila, noticing that the tall, nearly silent man was not only wearing a surprisingly frilly apron but was smeared with pink frosting, "…made it. Ah." Eugene cleared his throat somewhat nervously and dusted Attila's arm off – not being able to reach his shoulder. "Well done, my man."

Attila's facial expression didn't change much, but his oven-mitted punch only sent Eugene into the bar rather than into the ground so he had probably let the comment slide. Eugene pulled himself onto a stool as piano music began to fill the room, a rollicking, hearty melody that immediately caused Rapunzel to dance with the beat. The thugs began thundering around her and Eugene simply sat back and enjoyed watching the girl he loved have fun. Her skin was flushed, her eyes flashing with exuberance, and laughter bubbling from her lips. He would have perfectly happy just watching, but the thugs began pushing him towards the dance floor with enormous smirks. Eugene managed to keep them all at bay until a soft, small hand touched his arm and he looked up into the bewitchingly innocent green eyes that he could never say no to. Within seconds, he was out on the dance floor, the girl he loved clasped in his arms with the thugs hooting and hollering in support.

Eugene noted to himself that out of the few times he had ever danced, most of them had somehow ended up in here. He would never have been caught singing and dancing until he'd met Rapunzel and now…the prospect didn't seem quite so bad. In fact, he thought as he held her close, relishing in the softness of her skin and the sweet smell of her hair, the idea was just about perfect.

But perfection never lasts, and Eugene would probably not have enjoyed the moment so much knowing that the man who would soon sabotage theirs was walking towards the pub…

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><p>AN: And there's the first chapter...hope the first part wasn't too confusing. It was supposed to be a scene from the not too distant future. If that's not too clear, please let me know so I can fix it. I hope you enjoyed it!

Who is this guy? What is Rapunzel's present for Eugene? Will Eugene make it through the night in one piece (considering how often he's been knocked to the floor)? All will be revealed next chapter!

Thanks for reading and please review! They make me happy and remind me to keep my nose to the grindstone to post updates!


	2. Guiner

Greetings Readers! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this!

A special thanks to all my reviewers! More specific thanks will come soon - but I wanted to upload this quicker. I apologize for the amount of time it took to post this, but life got in the way.

Update: I apologize for the uploading problem that happened earlier - somehow this chapter was replaced chapter 3 AND chapter 3 was repeated. It's since been fixed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled, or any of its characters.

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><p>"Thank you for everything," Rapunzel said gratefully, and then hastened to hide a yawn behind her hand, "but I think we need to be getting back home."<p>

Eugene yawned broadly and unrepentedly. "Yeah, thanks a lot."

The thugs waved goodbye as Eugene walked Rapunzel out the door, her head leaning against his shoulder as her eyes began drooping sleepily shut. Her eyes shot open though as a man bumped harshly into her in his rush to get into the Snugly Duckling and she would have fallen to the ground if Eugene hadn't caught her. Eugene scowled at the swinging door. "What's his problem?"

"He's probably just in a rush, Eugene," Rapunzel said calmly from where she was in his arms, "I'm okay." She straightened up and Eugene smiled at her. "Let's go home."

Eugene had to fight the impulse to kiss her senseless as she yawned in an adorably cute way, and tightened an arm around her as he started to steer them towards the boat. He shot a final glare at the door. _Why is that guy in such a hurry?_

···

He was an experienced con man, but the hostile glares and increasingly small distance between him and the other men made him audibly gulp and back away, sweat trickling down past his ears and matting his hair at the forehead and behind his ears. "Now, gentlemen," he said in a hurried voice, "there's no need to get upset."

"Aye, there's plenty need, you skunk," the bigger of the three men growled as he advanced, balling up his fist, "You've been scamming us and you're going to regret it."

"Now gentlemen, gentlemen," the con man hastened to put distance in between them, "that is the highest quality dragon repellent and at a very good price –"

"It's useless!" The shortest of the three angry customers hissed, shaking a fist connected to an arm far too muscular for someone of his stature.

Luckily, the con man had a prepared defense for that and he swallowed back his nervousness to let an oily satisfied expression slide easily onto his face. "Don't tell me that you're one of those people who believe dragons are imaginary creatures!" He shook his head and crossed his arms with a smooth, practiced gesture. "There's evidence abounding about the existence of _serpens_ – just last month there was an entire village destroyed –"

"…in the kingdom south of ours." The final man bluntly interrupted, "Yeah, we heard. But not here."

"You see," the con man said confidently, "thanks to you and all the other conscientious people across this kingdom buying this exemplary product, we've kept the country safe from attack…"

"They stay out," the third man pushed, "because they aren't native to our land. It's too cold up here – I recently read that they prefer the southern kingdoms because of all the volcanos. They need the heat and sulfur to hatch their young."

The con man's spine ran cold and he backed up as the three aggravated men approached. His job was so much easier when he picked the suckers who couldn't read – and these guys didn't look like they'd be able to spell their name. The three had been tossed out of a bar he'd been walking past, an opportunity thrown almost into his lap, and he couldn't resist such an easy target. But it looked like they'd since gotten sober enough to find him and realize the sugar water he'd sold them was completely useless. It was lucky that none of them had tasted the concoction – he'd already be dead.

The first man, who looked like he had the most muscle, the most temper, and the least sense of humor, stepped close and pulled a dagger out of the sheath on his belt. The con man swallowed hard when he saw dark coppery stains on the blade. "Since you don't want to give us our money, I'll be takin' some of your hide instead!"

The con man took a step backward and then burst into a full sprint in the other direction, the disgruntled customers soon following in hot pursuit. Tree branches snagged on his clothing and ripped it, slowing him down enough for the pounding of the feet behind him to deafen the drumming of his heart. Just when he could feel their hot breath on his neck, he burst out of the trees onto a gravel path – right in front of a palace guard, spooking the man's horse. As the guard got the horse back under control, the three pursuers ran into the clearing and crashed into the horse. The guard got a good look at their faces as they started struggling to their feet, and gave a sharp whistle. Immediately, the three were surrounded by guards and one rider-less white horse with a humorous sight, but he did allow himself a satisfied chuckle as the three were arrested for disturbing the peace. As they were led away, the guard that had whistled looked around confusedly. "Any of you see the guy that was running from these criminals?"

The con man shrunk behind the tree trunk where he was hiding. The guard sounded concerned now, but he'd soon be yelling for his arrest, too – the man had nearly collared him a few months ago for stealing jewels.

"He's probably fine," another guard answered him, "if he was hurt more than scared, he'd have stopped when he saw you."

"I guess," the first guard didn't sound wholly convinced, "I'll just check around before I return to base."

The con man held his breath and carefully crept about the trees and piles of leaves without making a sound. Once he made it a safe enough distance, he broke into a dead sprint in the opposite direction. He needed cover, and fast, and the pub at the end of the gravel path seemed like the answer to a prayer. He'd looked up in time to see the duck on the pub's sign before he crashed into a pretty young woman walking out of the pub with who was probably her boyfriend. The adrenaline pulsing through his veins wouldn't allow him to stop and apologize, but even if it had he was too much in a rush to get out of the open space where the guard could find him. He rushed past the tables and up to the bar, where he collapsed onto a stool and allowed himself a gulp of air before slumping with exhaustion onto the bar.

The con man straightened up once he'd caught his breath and signaled to the barkeeper for a drink. The barkeeper swung a mug overflowing with foam, which the con man took a restorative sip and gave thanks for another lucky escape. It was a pain having to escape from disgruntled lawmen and swindled customers, but it was good exercise and beat working for a living. There were times, when he was younger, that his mother loudly lamented ever naming him Guiner – he'd lived up to the name of trickster and con man almost from the time he could talk. A rather plain man with a hooked nose, weaselly beady eyes and thin, slicked-back brown hair that always stayed crushed against his scalp, he wasn't the kind of person that one would assume would be a successful con man. That was an advantage. He wasn't one of the infamous good-looking men with silver tongues who could convince men with smooth talk and women with a charming smile and a wink. Instead, he gave off the appearance of a plodding, simple salesman who didn't have any more brains than it took to take money and recite advertisements – while he had enough silver tongue to spare, he had no desire or ambition to con the beautiful people or the rich and amass a fortune with every con – instead he preferred staying with the dregs and outskirts, picking up less money but less likely to get caught. It was easy to con people who were uneducated.

He took a second gulp and looked around for new prospects, but none looked promising. He'd heard people leaving as he'd collapsed on the bar and now the only people in the pub were the bartender, a man with a hook hand idly playing a tune on the piano, and a burly man weeping into his mug.

Guiner flicked a pink glob at the end of the bar with his finger and leaned closer to the emotional man. People who were emotional were vulnerable to cons, especially when spirits made them even more uninhibited. However, given that the man had forearms like hamhocks, being uninhibited could easily make him danger and so Guiner proceeded with caution. "Hey, what's the matter?"

The weeping man stopped crying and sniffed a few times before pulling a grimy square of cloth from his back pocket and trumpeting into it. "Nothing."

"You sure?" Guiner increased the warmth in his voice and leaned forward. "Don't want to talk about it?"

"Nothing's wrong," the man maintained, "the princess and her punk boyfriend came in today and –"

"The princess?" Guiner interrupted, raising his eyebrows, "Why would he be here?"

"Why not?" The bartender answered as he walked in and refilled their mugs. "They came here before she knew she was a princess." Guiner continued to look confused, so the bartender grunted slightly in frustration. He picked up a glass and rag and spoke. "You have to know about the princess – she was kidnapped when she was a baby by someone who wanted her hair's magical powers." He began polishing the glass with the rag, but only seemed to make it more grimy. "Eugene, her boyfriend, brought her out of the tower and here before they went to the city to see the annual lanterns." He craned his neck towards the door, "You probably saw her when you came in, she was leaving."

Guiner's eyes widened. "That was her? But all the murals show her with blonde hair."

"It used to be blonde," the bartender answered, giving up the glass as a bad job and putting it behind the bar, "but that was back when it had magical powers. The princess ended up being taken back to the tower by her kidnapper who wounded Eugene when he came to help the princess. Rapunzel promised to go with her kidnapper so the witch could always have access to her power if she could save Eugene first. She was going to heal him with her hair when –"

"He cut it and sacrificed his life for hers!" The thug at the bar blubbered, bursting into a new wave of tears.

Guiner knit his eyebrows. "But then shouldn't she be dead?"

The bartender shook his head. "No, apparently when she cried over him, her tears had the same healing effect as her hair, and they both survived."

The thug thumped his empty mug against the bar, bawling, "It's so beautiful!" He buried his head in his arms.

Despite his best efforts, Guiner burst out laughing. "You're crying because it's beautiful? How sappy is-"

The thug shot up and growled maliciously, balling up his fists. The knuckles of his right hand glinted with deep spikes – discolored with rust and splotches of what only looked like rust. Guiner stood up hastily, her hands out in surrender. "I agree, it's beautiful." He tossed a few coins on the counter. "Thanks for the drink and the story."

The barkeeper picked up the coins as the con man walked out the door. He frowned at the light weight of the coins and dropped them onto the counter, where they hit with a wooden clunk. The barkeeper's face burned bright red and he ran for the door after the con man, but he was nowhere to be seen. "You worm!" He bellowed, "No one cheats me with fake money. I see you again, you're going to pay with your hide!"

Guiner watched the display with amusement from his perch on the top of a nearby tree and permitted himself a small chuckle once the bartender had given up and gone back inside. He slipped down the trunk and brushed the leaves out of his clothes, grinning as he began walking to the city. The trip to the bar had not been a total waste – he hadn't picked up a new sucker, but he had gotten a brilliant times for a new sales venture. For once, he wouldn't have to con anyone. _Guiner's Amazing Curative and Restorative Potion – what would people be willing to pay for that?_ And for once, it would be all genuine. An unpleasant smirk spread over his face as plans began forming in his head. _Now all I have to do is go to the source._

···

"Blondie! Save me!" Rapunzel looked up from the homework the math tutor had assigned her to see her boyfriend tearing into her bedroom. She put down her pen and watched him duck into her closet. As she opened her mouth to ask just what was going on, a harried seamstress rushed into the room and began peering around anxiously.

"Mister Fitzherbert?" The seamstress looked positively bedraggled, with her hair frizzy and a tape measure dragging out of her skirt pocket, and it took her a moment to realize where she actually was. Her eyes widened and she bowed quickly. "I'm sorry, your highness, I didn't realize –"

Rapunzel stood up and walked over to her, smiling. "It's okay, Mrs. Hlysnan. Are you looking for Eugene?"

Mrs. Hlysnan nodded, "Yes, did you see where he -"

There was an enormous crash and the closet door swung open, causing the occupant to land face-first onto the floor. "Don't tell her where I am, Blondie!" He lifted his head to see two sets of feet staring him in the face, the smaller pair with one foot tapping. Eugene looked up, hoping that his girlfriend would appreciate the gravity of the situation, but she was the one tapping her foot and looked torn between amusement and disapproval. Eugene sighed and stood up. "Fine."

Rapunzel looked over at the relieved seamstress. "What was he running from?"

"I was fitting him for the clothing he's going to wear for your ball next week, but he took one look at himself in the mirror and bolted." Mrs. Hlysnan sighed and looked at the partially finished clothing with a critical eye. "Does anything look off about it? It looks good to me."

Rapunzel hugged the seamstress. "It looks wonderful! Eugene just doesn't like getting fitted."

"Hey!"

Rapunzel suppressed a giggle and sat back down at her desk to resume her homework. "If it's all right with you, Mrs. Hlysnan, you can finish the fitting in here. That way, you don't have to go back to the fitting room, and Eugene won't leave." She shot him a reproaching look. "Right?"

Eugene scowled and crossed his arms. "Fine."

The seamstress smiled at Rapunzel and pulled a spool of thread out of her pocket to resume hemming. Eugene managed to remain silent for a few minutes before giving in to speech. "I don't see why I can't just wear one of my old shirts for this thing."

"This thing," the seamstress explained, "is the princess' coming-of-age ball, and it will be the biggest event this kingdom has seen in over ten years. You need to look the part, to support Rapunzel."

That stopped Eugene's protest in their tracks, and Mrs. Hlysnan smiled and plied her needles as Rapunzel bent back to her work. Rapunzel was hiding her own nervousness about the upcoming ball, but she was absolutely terrified. It wasn't that she didn't like meeting new people – she loved it – but there was something daunting about being unveiled for all the nobles of the kingdom and other royals. So far, she'd been able to ignore the fear pooling and gnawing at her stomach, but as the time approached she was getting nervous.

"I look like some sort of puffed-up penguin!" Eugene whined and Rapunzel turned to look at the seamstress biting back a smile. She looked over the outfit more carefully and realized the source of his contempt – the puffed shoulders of his sleeves. Rapunzel rolled her eyes affectionately and sighed as she picked up her pen. Eugene dropped the petulant look on his face. "Are you okay, Rapunzel?"

Rapunzel hurried for an excuse that wouldn't hurt her boyfriend's pride or feelings and her eyes fell on her homework. "Oh, it's just this homework is giving me a hard time."

Eugene's eyes lit up and he stepped forward to help, much to the chagrin of the seamstress. "Want some help?"

Rapunzel rubbed her forehead. "No, it's just differential calculus."

Eugene froze in place. "Oh," he backed up, "well, then you're probably good."

"Miss Rapunzel," the seamstress said, "why don't you take a break? I'll be able to finish up and have Eugene ready by the time you get back." She leaned forward conspiratorially, "The cook wanted me to mention if I saw you that she was making cinnamon rolls today."

"Oh, good!" Rapunzel's eyes sparkled – the cook's cinnamon rolls were her favorite. "I'll leave you alone, then. Be back in a bit."

Mrs. Hlysnan and Eugene watched her leave, and Mrs. Hlysnan turned to finish a few stitches before nodding with approval. "That should do it – go ahead and change back into your clothes so I can finish the stitches on your ball uniform."

Eugene nearly fled behind the changing room door and in a matter of seconds he had flung the ball outfit over the top of the door and stepped out wearing his normal clothes. "Man, it feels better to be me and not in those frilly fancy clothes. I am not looking forward to this ball thing."

"You don't want to dance with Rapunzel?"

"What?" Eugene froze, "No, That's not it at –"

Mrs. Hlysnan was laughing. "I know what you mean, Eugene."

Eugene flushed a dark red. "It's just – I'm not big on the whole fancy, dressed-up thing. It's not that I don't like spending time with –" He groaned.

Mrs. Hlysnan smiled. "I understand, and I agree – but don't you think Rapunzel is just as panicked as you are?"

Eugene's eyes widened. _Shoot. I didn't even realize that…_

The seamstress patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, you just need to be aware, you see?"

Rapunzel came in then, bearing a platter with three cinnamon rolls, and Mrs. Hlysnan stepped away from Eugene to give him a look before reaching for the cinnamon roll Rapunzel offered her. "Thank you, princess. Have a good day."

Rapunzel looked slightly confused, but shrugged as she handed Eugene one of the remaining cinnamon rolls before taking the last one for herself and biting into hers with relish. Eugene smiled at the look of pleasure passing over her face, and his heart melted. He didn't realize the worry lines that had been on her face until they subsided as she smiled. "Hey Rapunzel?" She looked up at him, "Do you want to go out to town?"

Rapunzel's entire face lit up, she loved going into town. It gave her a chance to talk to friends while looking at what all the vendors were selling. "Yes!"

"Good," Eugene smiled, "Go get your cloak, we'll go when you're ready." _And maybe this will give me the chance to make up my selfishness to you,_ he thought.

What he didn't realize was that it would give other people a chance to accomplish something much more sinister.

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><p>AN: And there you are. I am putting off Rapunzel's present until later - it'll make more sense where I'm putting it now.

Mrs. Hlysnan has an interesting name, but it's not gobbledegook - I chose her name for a reason. Brownie points to whoever can figure it out.

Thanks for reading and please review! They make me happy and push me to work on updates.


	3. Kidnapped

Greetings Readers! Thanks for all of the feedback that I have been getting and I apologize for the lateness of this update. It was a combination of life and some other things that you probably don't care to hear about. :) Enjoy!

Update: I apologize for the uploading problem that happened earlier - somehow this chapter was put in as chapter 3 AND as chapter 2. It's since been fixed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled, or any of its characters. This is a *fan*fiction website.

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><p>Eugene took in a deep breath of the fresh air and spiciness of the open marketplace, and smiled in reminiscent pleasure. In the months between his departure from the orphanage where he'd grown up and his status of <em>persona non grata<em> in the kingdom, he'd spent a lot of time in this very marketplace. Little more than a kid with quick but clumsy fingers, he'd fine-tuned his thievery by filching pieces of fruit and other foods from some of the less vigilant stall-owners. Unusual for someone whose activities would be best kept unknown, Eugene had an open profile in the area, especially with the women. He'd perfected his smolder with the pretty shop assistants and daughters of traders that come into the city from the countryside. One shop assistant recognized him – she sent him a sultry smile and a wink from her stance behind the steaming loaves of bread.

He gave a polite smile and a nod before looking down at a very enthusiastic Rapunzel who was tugging persistently on their clasped hangs, trying to show him something. The baker girl's eyes lit up in understanding and she gave a "you-can't-win-them-all" shrug and shifted more comfortably against the stall. Eugene grinned back down at his girlfriend, whose eyes were sparkling as she showed him the eagerly chattering monkeys that were swinging acrobatically on ropes tied underneath a veranda. Rapunzel laughed appreciatively and clapped enthusiastically as one monkey spun toward her and put a flower in her hair. The movement displaced a sleeping Pascal, who shook his head blearily before waving his tail menacingly at the chattering monkeys. Rapunzel smiled and reached up her hand to where Pascal was perched on her shoulder so that he could climb onto her palm. She rubbed the scales behind his ears soothingly and whispered. "Oh, don't be jealous, Pascal – you're still my favorite."

To which Eugene cleared his throat pointedly, and Rapunzel stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "One of my two favorites."

Eugene smirked and held her chin in one hand so as to get a better kiss, descending to cover her lips with his. Her pleased but embarrassed squeak and flushing face made him pull back with a smirk – while always affectionate, she shied away from public displays. "Go ahead and have fun, Blondie, I need to look around for something." The something was technically a present for Rapunzel, something to cheer her up from the nervousness that was coming with the ball, but he obviously couldn't tell her that. Luckily, Rapunzel didn't question him further and instead walked to a group of little girls who all immediately began squealing with delight. It was only when they started to try and weave flowers into her brown hair that was just now past the length of her shoulders that he recognized them as the little girls who had braided Rapunzel's hair on their first trip to town. Given their enthusiastic giggles, they didn't miss her old hair too much. Smiling softly, he slid away to go peruse for a present.

"It's really all right," Rapunzel reassured one of the girls' mothers as she came to dislodge her daughters from their princess' hair, "they're having fun and it doesn't hurt." And it was true – her roots were incredibly resilient and strong, but they would have to be to maintain the sheer length of her once-magical locks. "Besides," she spun, showing her flower-bedecked braids, "I think they look wonderful."

The mother gave her a smile that was both pleased and grateful, and told the girls to say goodbye to Princess Rapunzel since it was time for lunch. The girls reluctantly let go and waved goodbye as they were ushered home.

Rapunzel smiled and waved back, before turning to the stalls. "Well, those little girls were sweet, weren't they, Pascal?"

Pascal cautiously came out of her pocket where he had been hiding – the girls had somehow managed to make a little flower garland which they'd wound around her tail, and had placed a particularly large bloom behind his left ear. A little giggle passed Rapunzel's lips at Pascal's petulant pout before she could stop it, and Pascal stuck his tongue out at her indignantly. "Oh, Pascal," she soothed, "you look wonderful."

The petulant look did not quite slip from the chameleon's face but he did press into her hand as she rubbed the skin behind his ears. Rapunzel felt him crawl up her arm and settle down on her shoulder before she walked over to a stall filled with hats and soft cloaks. She peered around the darkness, waiting for the hatmaker behind the counter to stop assisting another customer, when she heard a dejected sigh beside her. She looked over to see a strange man standing behind her, staring into the multitude of cloaks and hats looking positively miserable.

Most people would have seen greasy, slicked-back hair, a weaselly nose, and beady eyes, but Rapunzel could only see the sadness in his gaze. "Are you all right, sir?"

The man dragged himself out of his stupor with an effort, and gave her a weak smile. "Of course. Just having trouble shopping, miss."

Rapunzel arched a brow, looking puzzled. "Trouble shopping?"

The man sighed again. "Well, there's the woman that I really, really like – but she doesn't know that I exist."

"Oh," Rapunzel's eyes and voice softened, and she reached forward to pat his shoulder, "I'm sure it's not as bad as all that."

"Oh, it is," the man groaned, "but if I find her the perfect gift for her birthdyay, she just might notice me." He shook his head. "But I have no idea where to start."

"Well, I could help," Rapunzel offered brightly. She had become a full-fledged romantic. She hadn't known much about fairy tales for the first eighteen years of her life – Gothel hadn't been much of a storyteller, and there'd only been three books in her room, none of which had been fairy tales…perhaps because Gothel feared Rapunzel would start seeking out a prince or someone to save her. However, now that she'd had her own happy ending with Eugene, she tried whenever she could to help other people find theirs.

"Would you, miss?" The man's eyes brightened, grabbing her free hand with both of his. "Thank you so much."

A strong jolt of revulsion shot through Rapunzel at the clamminess pressed against her hand, but she forced herself to keep from showing it. The man's self-esteem probably couldn't take it if she acted like he disgusted her. But deep in her subconscious, she recognized that something was off…

Guiner gave her a grin that was just two shades away from being predatory. "Let's go then."

···

"So, how have you been doing, Errol?"

Eugene groaned exasperatedly as he crossed his arms. "Been doing pretty good – but my name's not Errol, you know that, Julia."

Having exhausted all the other possibilities, Eugene was now standing in front of the jewelry stall where his old friend worked. He'd hoped to just get a few suggestions and find the present before Rapunzel came back and accidentally spoiled her surprise, but Julia seemed to be relishing the opportunity to tease him again.

"Well, sure," she smirked, "but I don't know what possessed you to call yourself Eugene Flynn. Errol Flynn has more of a ring to it, doesn't it? Not," she gave him a disapproving look, "that there is anything with the name, Eugene…"

Eugene rubbed his forehead. "It was Flynn Rider, not Eugene Flynn – and it's back to Eugene, now."

"Well, good."

"So, can you help me?"

"Well, what are you looking for?" Julia asked.

"A present for my girlfriend," Eugene said a trifle sheepishly, rubbing his neck.

Julia's eyes lit up. "Finally, a girl has caught your eye!" Unlike some of the girl Flynn had shown attentions to, Julia had realized that he hadn't been serious and they were content to be friends – in fact, she tended towards acting like an older sister at times. "Was that the brown-haired girl who was with you earlier?"

"Yup," Eugene said proudly, "that's Rapunzel."

Julia gasped. "Princess Rapunzel?" She narrowed her eyes in thought. "Oh, yes. I'm used to seeing all those murals with her with blonde hair, but I've seen her before. She helped us with that children's festival a couple months ago. You'd never guess she was a princess from a distance."

Eugene shot her a glare and she hastened to explain. "No, I just mean she doesn't have airs or anything – some of the nobles' daughters who come into town, they're so loaded down with finery you can see them from miles away. But when you talk to her – you just know that she's quality." She folded her arms and gave him an amused look. "So, how in the world did she choose you?"

"Hey!"

"I'm just kidding," she smiled, giving him an apologetic pat on the arm.

Eugene smirked. "Maybe you're just jealous – because she gets to date a handsome, dashing man, and you don't."

Julia rolled her eyes. "Please. Only in your dr-ah!" She made a motion that endeavored to be both mortified and sophisticated and ducked beneath the counter. Eugene leaned over the counter, puzzled. "Julia…"

She bounced up, smoothing her hair behind her ears, a deep red blush across her face. "What?" Eugene followed her gaze and saw the young baker's apprentice straighten up from lifting bags of flour, wiping his very muscled forearm across his sweaty forehead. The handsome, young man noticed the twin stares from across the marketplace and looked over, raising his hand in greeting. "Hey, Eugene!"

"Hey, Frank!"

Frank grinned at them both and gave Julia a wink that nearly sent her into hysterics before bending back to his work. Eugene smirked over at her. "Smooth."

"Shut up," she groaned, dropping her flushed face into her hands, "You know him?"

"Yeah," Eugene said, "So, can you help me?"

"Let me look." Julia began sorting through her stock. "I'm guessing that she prefers the simple things."

Eugene thought about Rapunzel loved to watch the sunrise when she could get up earlier, thought that the birds in the palace actuary made the most beautiful music, and loved their dates when they just sat together under one of her favorite trees. He nodded. "Yeah."

Julia grinned at the lovesick look crossing Eugene's face. "How about this?"

The necklace had a tiny pendant that looked like the kingdom's symbol, the golden sun, although the sun was a light amethyst with a thin gold outlining that matched the chain. "Oh, that's great. What's the price?"

She scribbled the amount on a small piece of parchment and held it up. His eyes widened. "Uh, don't have that much." Julia pulled the necklace back to put it away, but Eugene wouldn't let it go. "Come on, can't you give me a discount or something." He pleaded, "For one time's sake?"

Julia snorted. "Not for old time's sake," her eyes lit up, "but if you put in a good word for me around Frank, and you got a deal."

···

The feeling of unease and revulsion had only intensified for the last half-hour, and Rapunzel had decided to finally follow through with her gut. She hadn't wanted to hurt the man's feelings, and so shoved down her feelings of disgust as being superficial and based on his appearance. But upon better examination, she realized that that made no sense – she never cared about that kind of thing. After all, some of her closest friends were the men from the Snugly Duckling, and they were not what most people would call attractive.

Right now, she and the man were standing in front of a stall full of art supplies, as the man had said that the woman he liked loved to paint. Rapunzel was familiar with the stall owner and had established a conversation between the two men when she turned to leave. The man turned to facer her, his arms filled with paint jars. "Are you leaving, miss?"

"Yes," she gave him an apologetic smile, "I have to go meet up with my boyfriend before he gets worried."

"Well, all right," the man said, "thank you for helping me." As he raised his hand to shake hers, he apparently forgot that his arms were full of paint jars, and they all spilled to the ground. Luckily, none of the jars broke although some of them rolled into the alleyway.

"Let me get those for you," Rapunzel offered, gesturing over to the alleyway. Guiner nodded, smiling, and then looked back at the shop owner, who was picking up the scattered paint jars around the front of the stall and not paying him any attention. An unpleasant smirk crossed Guiner's face as he silently crept behind Rapunzel pulling a handkerchief and a small bottle from his pocket.

Something felt wrong. Adrenaline started pulsing through her body as Rapunzel began straightening up from picking up the last pain jar. The fact that she didn't know where exactly the threat was coming from was more frightening than the sense of impending danger, and she struggled not to panic. By the time she recognized a sickly sweet smell pressed to her nose, it was too late. She crumpled to the floor, and her assailant grinned from behind her. He slung the light princess over his shoulder and, looking around to make sure no one was watching, carried her down the alleyway.

What he didn't notice was the dazed chameleon who had fallen from Rapunzel's pocket, slightly overwhelmed from chloroform fumes, and collapsed in a heap on the floor. The tiny eyes only saw a blurred figure hurrying away from the marketplace before he succumbed to unconsciousness.

···

"Rapunzel?" Eugene frowned. It had been a really long time since he'd seen his girlfriend, and he was getting concerned. He had looked all over the marketplace and had seen nothing of her. The only person who had seen Rapunzel was the man who owned her favorite arts and crafts store. He had said she had been helping another customer find a present when a lot of paint had gotten spilled. By the time, the shop owner had finished clearing the mess, the two had disappeared.

Thanking the shop owner, Eugene walked over to the alley opening and peered into the dimness. Not far from where the alley opened up onto the marketplace, a small bundle was beginning to move. Eugene stepped closer, and his blood ran cold in his veins as he recognized the bundle as Pascal. Rapunzel would never leave Pascal like that. He picked Pascal up, who only managed to blearily open one eye before shutting it again, and placed him in his satchel. He stooped down and began looking around the floor for anything that might give him a hint to where Rapunzel had gone. A dirty, crumpled handkerchief had been blown to the side and Eugene picked it up to examine it.

The smell was faint but distinct, and fire was burning from behind Eugene's eyes as he looked up. _Chloroform_.

Eugene was a pretty easy-going guy, but people who had seen him angry never liked to relive the experience or provoke his anger again. Now, he was beyond angry, he was livid, and his entire body was shuddering. The handkerchief was clutched so tightly within his hands that the knuckles were white and his teeth nearly cracked from the angry set of his mouth. Someone had kidnapped his Rapunzel.

And when he found them, they would pay.

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><p>AN: I still can't believe I made that Errol Flynn joke...did you all catch that?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading and please review (they make me happy). I'll try to update sooner this time around!


	4. Desperate Darkness

Greetings Readers!

I apologize for the long, long delay in between updates - this semester has been difficult. I hope, however, to get my next update up sooner. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled, or any of its characters.

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><p>Rapunzel blinked open her eyes and took a deep breath, which only caused her to wince at the stinging pain in her nose and begin coughing. <em>Where am I?<em>

She looked around. It felt as though she were looking through one of the grimy glasses at the Snugly Duckling – everything seemed thick and heavy and confusing. But then that might have been her head – she had only been awake for a few seconds, but already her head was lolling on her neck as though it were far too heavy to hold up. Remembering the lesson that the royal doctor's assistant had given her once about treating common injuries, Rapunzel recognized the headache and dizziness for what it was and took deep breaths to both calm himself and restore herself to consciousness.

She nearly choked onto the pungent smell of the room, but air was air, and Rapunzel felt a surge of relief as the heaviness of her head began to dissipate. She waited for the room to grow lighter as well, but minutes passed and the room remained a sullen gloom. Her eyes widened as she finally was able to fully evaluate her surroundings.

No light. There was no light anywhere.

Fear lodged solidly in her throat as she peered desperately around for some sort of light, and the fear grew even more intense when she tried to lift her arms. There was a strange heaviness that clung to her wrists that rattled when she raised her arms up to examine them. Gleaming silver handcuffs, easily the cleanest thing in the room, encircled her wrists and were attached by a long link of chain to the wall.

_This is even worse than the tower!_ Rapunzel panicked as she pulled frantically with both arms against the chain before the adrenaline and fear subsided as she slumped against the wall, breathing heavily. _Calm down_, she ordered herself, slowing her heart rate and feeling the tension release from her shoulders. Rapunzel folded her hands as best she could and rested her chin on top of them.

_What happened?_ She mused to herself as she forced himself to calm down. She remembered feeling uncomfortable, walking into the alleyway to pick up fallen paint jars, the man's eerily triumphant face just before the sickly sweetness took over her senses.

Every fiber of her being stiffened at the memory. _Who is that man?_

At that moment, the door to the chamber slammed open and the man in question stepped into the room with an all-too-pleased smirk on his face. Although jolts of fear and terror shot their way repeatedly through her already tense body, but she kept a stoic face. _I don't know what he wants,_ she thought, gritting her teeth, _but I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry._

···

The throne room was the last place that Eugene wanted to be in at the moment, but once some of the nearby guards in the marketplace figured out what had happened, they'd immediately rushed him back to the palace where he now faced his girlfriend's very upset parents. Neither of them blamed Eugene for what had happened – and even if they did, he would have been to occupied in beating himself up to really notice – but watching the king's knuckles glow white from the force of his grip on the arm of his chair and the queen's strained face and tear-rimmed eyes was worse than any diatribe.

"And that's all you remember?" The king asked.

In any other situation, Eugene would have laughed – the same question had been asked at least five times with the exact same results – but given all that had happened, he only solemnly nodded, wishing he had a different answer for them.

The king, who had clearly been struggling to stay seated on his throne, stood and began pacing in front of the two thrones, his steps sharp and echoing throughout the throne room. He opened his mouth to speak, but the anger and anxiety creasing his face was too great for words, and he soundlessly closed it. The queen rose up after a few minutes of her husband's pacing and grabbed his arm to stop him. The king looked down at her.

"This isn't helping," she gently chided, in a calm voice that was belied by her red-rimmed eyes, "we should be helping."

The king furiously rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I've sent out the guards." He'd sent them out as soon as Eugene had been rushed back to the police to tell them what had happened. Eugene had planned on running out with the guards to renew his search, but he'd been held back for details.

"The guards are good, dear," the queen said, "but I can't just stay here and wait. Not again." The king closed his eyes and his face sank slightly, as though he remembered those long years of waiting. The queen's eyes grew determined even as the rest of her face remained soft as she tenderly cupped her husband's face in her hands. "Please, just let me go and help –"

"No." The king's eyes snapped open and he pulled his wife close, holding her tightly. "I don't know who it was who took her. They could be trying to capture the members of the royal family, and I will not lose you." He let out a deep breath. "Not both of you…I can't."

The look in the queen's eyes, both hurt and understanding, as she gently pulled away to look out the window at the surrounding kingdom made Eugene swallow hard. It wasn't helping that she looked a lot like Rapunzel when she did that. As the king followed her to the window and put an arm comfortingly around her shoulders, Eugene quickly and quietly left. Rapunzel's father might be able to keep her mother here and waiting, but there was no way he could keep Eugene back any longer. He'd been standing around long enough.

He knew that he needed to keep his head clear, but just the thought of Rapunzel trapped and in danger somewhere made his blood boil and his head spin. Somebody tricking her, dragging her away, subduing her with chloroform…

Eugene stopped at the memory of the smell of chloroform, shoving back the feelings of revulsion that were roiling in his gut so that he could think. Upon finding a Rapunzel-less Pascal unconscious in the alleyway and figuring out Rapunzel was gone, red-hot anger had boiled in him so quickly that he couldn't think straight. But now, he remembered the scrap of cloth blown against at the wall of the alley that reeked faintly of chloroform. His eyes widened. _I have to get back there – maybe there's something I missed, something that can help me find her_.

He broke into a hard sprint, shooting out of the room and nearly knocking over a guard as he made his way out of the castle doors.

_Hold on, Blondie,_ Eugene urged as he surged down the gravel path towards the marketplace. _I'm coming._

···

Rapunzel bit her lip anxiously but managed to keep a stoic face as the man holding his prisoner leaned in painfully close, stale breath emanating from his smirking yellow-toothed mouth, and continued mocking her. "Such a shame," he sneered, rubbing the back of his hand across her cheek, "that you will never see your parents or your boyfriend again."

The skin around the princess' eyes tightened slightly and Guiner thought he saw her jaw clench, but she gave off no other sign that she'd heard what he said. Guiner inwardly groaned in irritation. _Why doesn't she crack?_

He had expected her to start weeping as soon as he'd swaggered in and begun taunting her, giving her ample opportunity to battle her tears. He'd expected pleas, and tears to let her go back home. But he'd gotten none of that. The princess had not spoken a single word or shed any tear, instead gazing at him with steely green eyes that took him aback. He'd tried taunts, he'd tried threats, he'd tried dazzling her with strong lights and stroking her hair and face – anything short of causing her physical harm. He'd looked far enough ahead to know that if the deal went sour and he got caught, any physical pain he caused her would be another knot in his noose.

Guiner grunted out a muffled curse as beads of hot wax dripped off the lit candle he was holding onto his fingers. He blew out the candle and tossed it to the side, nearly hitting Rapunzel. She flinched and Guiner leaned forward in hopeful expedition – but there were no tears. Frustrated, he stomped out of the door and slammed it behind him, surrounding the princess in darkness.

Guiner walked out of the dark warehouse and, exhaling loudly, walked over to the dilapidated well that sat at the edge of the land. Taking care not to lean against the loose stones at the top of the well, he unhooked the bucket and lowered it into the dark depths. As he listened to the wind whistle against the rope, he worried about the current situation. He was broke. Beyond broke. He'd lost almost all the money he'd conned out of people when some bitter past suckers had come after him. His skin wasn't worth a whole lot, but it was all he'd got, and it was better to be safe but poor than to beaten and broke.

Unfortunately that meant he couldn't get his captive far – they were only just outside the kingdom's borders in an abandoned metalworker's workshop because he didn't have enough money to get them further. He'd barely been able to con enough money to get food for the both of them and for the woebegone horse he'd 'borrowed' to help move the princess quickly.

The bucket sloshed quietly down near the bottom of the well and Guiner pulled on the rope before grabbing the rusty handle at the top and heaving it over the side. He flicked off the patches of algae floating on the surface before the bucket to his face. Most of the water sloshed to the ground, soaking his shoes, rather than go into his mouth, but he barely noticed. He let the bucket drop into the deep well, and slouched dejectedly, rubbing the excess water off his chin with his forearm. He was getting desperate.

"I've got to get more…persuasive."

Rapunzel hurriedly blinked away the nervous sweat that was dripping into her eyes as she continued to try and find a sharp piece of metal, a key, a stick, anything that could get her out of the handcuffs. As she heard footsteps returning to the room, she gave up the search and simply began pulling on the chain with all her strength. She was so focused on her task that the opening of the door didn't register in her mind, and she barely noticed the frantic curse before a heavy pressure covered her neck and enfolded her in darkness.

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><p>AN: And it keeps getting worse. And when the heck will Eugene show up? ...I know. *evil laughter*

I originally was going to have the queen need to be comforted more than the king, but given their interaction in the movie, I went ahead and changed it around. What do you all think?

I hope you enjoyed and please review! They make me happy.

And I will try harder to get the next update uploaded soon!


	5. Sodden and Sad

Greetings Readers! I apologize for the lateness of the update - I could give excuses and reasons, but you probably don't want to read those. Instead, here is the next chapter. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled, or any of its characters.

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><p>If it hadn't have looked absolutely pathetic, Eugene would have fallen to his knees, gripped his hair and screamed, right in the middle of the marketplace. He had spent hours asking the same questions over and over in an increasingly futile effort to track down the guy who had kidnapped Rapunzel. All he'd gotten from eyewitnesses about the guy was that he was a small, seedy-looking guy that nobody would notice. The descriptions he'd been given were vague enough to apply to at least a dozen of those he'd heard of and known in his less reputable days. Even the recognition of the chloroform for what it was had led to a disappointing dead end – he'd gone to the two apothecary shops but neither of the shop owners remembered the seedy man who had slipped in to buy chloroform. He just hadn't been one that stood out, both shops claimed, and one had been distracted by balancing the books, while the other had been distracted by a pretty girl looking for love potions. The second shop owner had tried to appeal to Eugene's susceptibilities as a normal guy, saying that he'd have been just as distracted if he'd been the one talking to the girl. As Flynn, he would have totally agreed and even set aside a chunk of time to talk about just how <span>good<span> the girl looked.

But he wasn't Flynn Rider, he was Eugene Fitzherbert, and he was having a hard time not rearing back and socking the stupidly grinning man for letting the guy who took Rapunzel get away. He'd even felt his fingers clenching into a fist, only to relax them as the vision of a disappointed Rapunzel's face appeared in front of his mind's eye.

However, his frustration had to find some outlet before he exploded, and so he half-stumbled, half-trudged into a nearby bar, not noticing the concerned gaze following him as the doors closed behind him.

The bar was cleaner than the Ugly Duckling, but not by much, and the normal patrons were less menacing but also less interesting. He'd been in this bar before, using the scene to practice his swagger and pubescent smolder on the serving girls or pretty dates that had gotten dragged in. Eugene recognized the bartender, but the man polishing glasses behind the bar gave no indication that he remembered him. That was just as well, since Eugene didn't feel like talking to anyone.

Julia slipped into the bar, pushing back the hood of her cape as her worried eyes surveyed the room. It wasn't hard to find Eugene – the only people in the bar besides Eugene and the bartender was a table of four sailors playing poker in a back corner and a hunched man at the end of the bar, nursing a tall glass of brown, murky liquid.

Eugene gave no sign that he'd heard her enter or felt the rays of sunlight that feel and dissipated across his face as the door opened and closed. Julia bit her lip – she had never seen him like this.

It wasn't that she had never seen him drunk before. There had been several entertaining incidents when they were younger when he had gotten royally plastered – but he had been in a good mood. He had become animated, exuberant, and his smolder and hold on the ladies had intensified. It was not normal to see him slumped morosely over the bar, staring into the empty mug in front of him with his eyes dimmed with overindulgence. Eugene craned his head upwards. "Gimme another one."

The bartender automatically came over, with the intent of grabbing the mug to refill it, only to stop at the sight of Julia drawing her hand under his chin, while shaking her head fervently. The bartender turned back to the rag and mugs.

"Ah, c'mon," Eugene groaned, blearily, gesturing for the bartender to return.

The shock of the slap that pinned his palm t the slightly sticky wood of the counter reverberated down his spine and he looked up to see an irritated but concerned Julia looking down at him. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" He glared, "I'm getting drunk, or I was until you showed up."

"Good thing I came then," Eugene looked away, irritated, so Julia gave up the niceties and went right to the heart. "What would Rapunzel think?"

The question sent a jolt of pain noticeably through his stance and eyes.

She pushed on. "What kind of a boyfriend are you? Your girlfriend's missing, and you're out getting drunk?" She didn't particularly like playing hardball, but she'd had to deal with a drunk family member or two in her life, and shock tended to be the quickest way to shop them out of a drunken stupor.

Eugene grimaced and put his head on the bar, ignoring the stickiness that adhered his forehead to the wood. "Not like I was being a much better one before."

Julia's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you-?"

Ripping his head off the counter, his forehead beet-red and stinging, Eugene looked her in the eye and answered frenetically. "What kind was I before? How could I let her be taken? How can I not find her? How could I let this happen?"

"How can you give up?"

The question stopped him short, spoken in a tone that was quiet but intense, and he stared at her as she crossed her arms and gave him a piercing look. "The guy I knew would never give up because of a few setbacks, not when the goal is really valuable." She spared him a small smile. "And if you'd risk anything for a couple fistfuls of silver and coins, can't you risk even more for Rapunzel?"

Resolve crept into his eyes, but quickly seeped back out. "I'm all out of leads."

"I'm not," she countered proudly, "I was talking to Frank when these little boys came up to buy bread. They were talking about some guy carrying a brown-haired girl out of the marketplace a few days ago."

Eugene stood up, resolve suddenly blazing in his eyes. "They still there?"

"Should be," she grinned.

Eugene fumbled in his tunic for a moment before producing a few coins. He flung them at the counter with such force that they ricocheted off the counter and towards the man at the end of the bar. One of the coins hit him in the shoulder and the other two fell into his mug, causing the liquid to splash up and over the side of the mug.

"Hey, Rider! Get back here, ya punk!" The bartender yelled after the swinging door, finally having recognized Eugene. He was torn between slight amusement and irritation, but instead stayed back to smooth things over with the customer, who had not reacted at all since the alcohol had splashed up into his face. "Sir, ya all right?"

The seedy little man continued to remain frozen, and the barkeeper leaned in closer. "Sir, ya want another drink? It's on the house."

The man blinked furtively and then stumbled backwards, sending droplets of alcohol from his hair and clothing as he turned and ran out of the bar into the sunlight. The barkeeper simply raised an eyebrow before slipping back behind the bar and picking up the mug, pouring out the soggy dregs so he could keep the coins and clean the mug. In all his years, he'd seen stranger reactions than what he'd just witnessed, but there was something about the guy…

The bell above the door rang, and he pushed the thought out of his mind to deal with the new customer.

_Too close,_ Guiner thought to himself as he took in deep breaths, leaning against the brick wall of the bar. He hadn't been far from the storehouse where he was keeping the princess since he'd gotten her there, and he'd had no luck in getting any tears. He'd needed a drink, and so risked getting caught for pint of mildly decent alcohol in a mildly decent bar.

The universe must have something against him that the one bar he happened to pick was the same bar that the princess' boyfriend happened to stumble into. He hadn't even been able to let the potency of the alcohol set in.

He hadn't been caught, but the fact of the matter was he could have been. It wasn't as though Guiner was new to the adrenaline rush of pulling a successful con or even of escaping the repercussions of those who figured out that they were being swindled. But he'd never played for such high stakes before, and beneath the thin sheen of adrenaline was thick, solid fear. _I have to do_ something.

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><p>AN: So now what will happen? I know, and soon you will, too! I hope you liked it.

Thanks for reading and please review! Reviews make me happy!


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